It's been awhile! Sorry it took me so long to write about the longest run of my training. I did it in Bloomington since Chris and I had traveled that way to visit our alma mater for homecoming. I adjusted my schedule so I could get my run done on Friday when we got there. So I dropped one of my training days the week leading up to the 22-miler and then took Thursday off, which was perfect as that was our travel day. We drove to Louisville first and spent the night at Chris' parent's house and then drove the quick two hours up to IU Friday morning. Before we took off for IU I had a half a bagel with some light butter. It was good enough to hold me over until I had my GU 15 minutes before my run.
Conditions were unfavorable, to say the least. Low 40s, spitting rain and cold wind. I wore my long yoga pants, a t-shirt and a Nike running pullover. I also wore gloves and a winter hat. The night before I updated my playlist on my iPod so I had enough songs for a run that would last longer than three hours. Again I mapped my route on MapMyRun.com, wrote down the turn-by-turn directions on a piece of paper and folded it up to take along with me. And so, there I went.
I started slow and relaxed with the same mentality that I've tried to maintain throughout training. Just another run. I try not to think about the mileage, the time, or anything else related to the run really. My mind gets quickly filled with pointless thoughts, things going on in my life and my route surroundings. I started off feeling fine - running on the side of campus where I lived my senior year. It was neat to see everything again after not having visited for over a year. The first time I looked at my watch was around the 7.5 mile mark, which was great because I didn't think I had run that far at that point. I had to go to the bathroom so I found a place to do that and then I had my second GU. I had Chocolate Outrage here but at mile 16 I tried Blueberry Pomegranate for the first time - the GU with two times the caffeine. This is my favorite flavor so far!
Still truckin' along at 16, which is also about when I started to think about that sign I saw in my half-marathon. "Pain is temporary but pride is permanent." I smiled knowing how true it was. I would be done in the next hour at the most and sure it might be painful but I would be able to say I did it. I had definitely underestimated the hills in Bloomington. I thought nothing would compare to Raleigh. Wrong. They weren't worse but they weren't too forgiving either. During my long runs I tend to begin a countdown per say around mile six. Mentally that's not that bad to think about. I don't think about how long six miles will take me - but it helps me to get to 6, then only 5.5 left, only 5 more, okay less than 5, almost to 4, an easy 5K left ... you get the picture. Lots of talking to myself, lots of mental toughness. That worked until about mile 19 when I had three miles left but felt like I had a forever road in front of me. Hopping up and down curbs felt like lifting my leg with a 50-pound dumbbell attached to my ankle and facing any incline felt like I was running headfirst into a slanting rainstorm. Those last few miles really challenged me. But I did it - I pushed through it - involuntary noises, pain and all.
When I finished I did what you are not supposed to do after a run ... bent over and put my hands on knees. I was hurting pretty bad and painfully walked over to my car.
After showering and getting ready for the day - I was able to drive around campus and see my old stomping ground and the many new developments around Bloomington. Eventually I stopped and bought a banana for my post-workout snack. I wouldn't say that's sufficient for after such a long run but I had a nice, big dinner to look forward to so I knew I'd get the replenishment I needed.
I took Saturday and Sunday off, although I did walk all around campus on Saturday. Unintentionally I took off today as well. I will pick up training tomorrow with six miles hopefully and then four or five on Wednesday. I'm on the road again to visit my little sister, Taylor, at Ohio University. That means I'll have to rearrange my training again this week. I'll take Thursday off and do my long run after work on Friday. This past week marked the longest run of my marathon training, so now I will start tapering off. Friday will be 15, followed by an 11-miler the next week ... then, THE MARATHON!
- merebrown01
- Raleigh, NC, United States
- Ex-field hockey player turned runner! After school I started running to keep in shape. I ran a few shorter races until I played a hand on a marathon. I qualified for the Boston Marathon on the first shot and then qualified again. There's nothing like pushing yourself so hard for something that not everyone has the guts to do ... and experiencing a rewarding accomplishment. These are my thoughts when I'm hitting the pavement.
Showing posts with label post workout nutrition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label post workout nutrition. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Mixing it Up and Training Tidbit #2
I'm readjusting this week's workouts a little bit due to some necessary celebrating that will be going on this weekend. It's my boyfriend's birthday on Friday so that makes me wary to schedule a run Saturday morning. I think I'll tackle the long run Sunday morning this week instead. So the executive decision has been made to rearrange my routine this week and to start by taking today off, not to mention I wanted to join my sister and my two beautiful nieces to pick out princess Halloween costumes at the Disney Store tonight. Sometimes other things just take the cake when compared to a run. :-) Tomorrow and Friday I will fit a workout in and then take Saturday off. Sunday - 10 to 11 miles here I come. This week's long run is scaled back but the following week I'll climb up again and do 15 to 16 miles. I'm getting there! Only three more long runs until the Baltimore half and then another three runs until the big race! I can't believe how close it's getting.
Training Tidbit #2
Post workout nutrition is vital for a successful training regimen. The two most important ingredients in a snack after training are carbs and protein. This combination speeds up recovery. WebMD says it helps in "replenishing glycogen stores and possibly increasing protein synthesis." Experts recommend eating this type of snack within an hour, preferrably 30 minutes after working out.
I tried a new snack after my last week's long run and loved it! I spread reduced fat peanut butter (about one tablespoon) on one slice of multigrain bread. Then I put a handful of Banana Nut Cheerios (mmm!) on top of the PB and folded it in half. Yum!! The protein and carbs from the PB and the carbs and the multigrain from the bread and the cheerios were a great mix!
Other good snacks:
Peanut butter
Banana (with PB)
Yogurt (maybe add some berries)
Whey protein shake*said on many Web sites to be the best path to take
Tuna on whole wheat bread
Turkey with cheese and apple slices
Skim milk
Training Tidbit #2
Post workout nutrition is vital for a successful training regimen. The two most important ingredients in a snack after training are carbs and protein. This combination speeds up recovery. WebMD says it helps in "replenishing glycogen stores and possibly increasing protein synthesis." Experts recommend eating this type of snack within an hour, preferrably 30 minutes after working out.
I tried a new snack after my last week's long run and loved it! I spread reduced fat peanut butter (about one tablespoon) on one slice of multigrain bread. Then I put a handful of Banana Nut Cheerios (mmm!) on top of the PB and folded it in half. Yum!! The protein and carbs from the PB and the carbs and the multigrain from the bread and the cheerios were a great mix!
Other good snacks:
Peanut butter
Banana (with PB)
Yogurt (maybe add some berries)
Whey protein shake*said on many Web sites to be the best path to take
Tuna on whole wheat bread
Turkey with cheese and apple slices
Skim milk
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)